Monthly Archives: July 2018

Brockham: public meeting this Wednesday

Brockham Oil Watch is hosting a public meeting, this Wednesday, 25 July, at 7.30pm, at the Brockham Village Hall Bar.

Come along to find out about:

• the connection between earthquakes and local extraction?
• the health and environmental risks of the latest proposals by Angus Energy?
• plans for fracking/acidisation in the local area?

The public meeting takes place ahead of the decision on whether to approve Angus Energy’s part-retrospective application for the retention of the BRX4 well, the regularisation of the BRX4Z sidetrack, and the appraisal of BRX4Z, accessing the Kimmeridge Clay Formation. Surrey County Council Planning Committee is due to decide on 8 August.

Documents on emissions from a large gas engine and flaring were published on the Surrey County Council planning website only in mid-June. See a very informative submission on this on the Frack Free Balcombe Residents Association website.

• To find out more, contact Brockham Oil Watch

Horse Hill: flow testing under way

Flow tests are underway at Horse Hill, testing oil flow first from the Portland rock formation. UKOG say the results are “extremely positive”. They will now move onto testing the Kimmeridge limestone formation.

Local people and campaigners are monitoring activities. If you could help with this, to monitor the site, simply watching what is going in and out, times and other activity, please contact Ivan Tucker.

• Read more on Drill or Drop

Leith Hill: permissions running out

The planning permission for Leith Hill runs out on 7 August; we expect an application for an extension soon afterwards, including a cunning plan to make the controversial traffic management plan more palatable. Everyone will need to object again so please watch this space.

The lease granted by Forest Enterprise to Europa Oil and Gas for the drill site runs out in September. A Voice for Leith Hill and Keith Taylor Green MEP asked to meet the Chief Executive, Simon Hodgson, to discuss transferring the lease to a less damaging cause (like us!). He declined to attend. The meeting went ahead anyway with Mr Hodgson represented by an empty chair.

• Read more

Press Release from A Voice for Leith Hill

Green MEP Keith Taylor joined local campaigners at the Leith Hill proposed oil drill site to call for Forest Enterprise to start discussions about giving up leasing the land to an oil company.

Keith Taylor had invited Simon Hodgson,  chief executive of Forest Enterprise and the Forestry Commission (1), to discuss offering the lease to A Voice for Leith Hill (2), rather than Europa Oil and Gas. The lease runs out in September.

Mr Hodgson declined, saying: “I see no benefit in having a meeting on site or indeed elsewhere.”

He was represented at the meeting by an empty chair.

Keith Taylor said: “People have the right to question why a public body with explicit environmental and climate change commitments continues to engage in a commercial partnership to allow climate-destructive drilling in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“We will make sure he gets the message loud and clear: the Forestry Commission getting into bed with the oil and gas industry is a dereliction of the organisation’s public duty.”

Read the rest of this entry >>

Local campaigners A Voice for Leith Hill and Brockham Oil Watch have welcomed prompt action by the British Geological Survey to install new seismographs near oil drill sites in Surrey.

Two of the earthquake monitors were set up today (Thursday 12 July). They will be used to track earth movements following an unprecedented cluster of eight recent earthquakes near Newdigate.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said: “We hope to gain a better understanding of this scientific phenomena through the installation of additional stations.” BGS also said: “We are unable to say categorically if these earthquakes are related to hydrocarbon exploration or production, mainly because of the uncertainties in our estimates of the earthquake epicentres and particularly depths. Our calculated epicentres for the earthquakes are approximately 4.5km from the Horse Hill well, which is within our calculated uncertainty.” Read the rest of this entry >>

Following the 3.1 magnitude earthquake on Thursday today, the seventh and biggest of a series in recent months, many people have contacted us asking us whether the oil drilling activities at Horse Hill or Brockham could be a cause or contributing factor.

It is impossible to be certain about this. Earthquakes of this size in Surrey are a new phenomenon, according to the British Geological Survey (BGS), so there aren’t monitoring stations nearby. The closest is more than 50 km away. Consequently BGS is not able to locate the epicentres precisely, however they calculate it is approximately 4.5km from the very deep Horse Hill well. We were pleased to read that temporary monitors are to be installed next week, which should allow the experts to get more accurate locations should there be any more earthquakes.

We believe this needs a proper investigation and are calling for all drilling and flow testing to be halted now to allow proper monitoring to take place. (Of course there are a lot of other good reasons why we think it should stop quite apart from earthquakes!)

Read the rest of this entry >>

Press release from the Weald Action Group

The outcome of a high-profile high court case will not be known till August at the earliest.

Six women from Surrey and Sussex have put their names forward as defendants against an injunction which oil company UK Oil and Gas (UKOG) wants to impose on “persons unknown”, banning legal protest at and around their drill sites.

After a four-day hearing, the Judge, Mr Justice Male, has reserved judgement in order to consider the legal implications.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Show of support for the defendants at the High Court. Photo by James Knapp

Campaigners from across the South East gathered at the High Court in London at lunchtime today in a protest against a “draconian injunction” application by oil company, UK Oil and Gas.

Six women from Surrey and Sussex are opposing the application for an interim injunction which aims to stop certain forms of protest at UKOG sites. They say their right to peaceful protest will be stifled by the injunction, which is in breach of their human rights. UKOG is currently presenting its case, and will be followed by Stephanie Harrison QC for the defendants. The case is due to finish on Thursday morning.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Press release from Weald Action Group

Six women from Surrey and Sussex are at the High Court today (Tuesday 3 July) to defend the right to peaceful protest which is being challenged by UK Oil and Gas (UKOG).

Campaigners from across the South East and London will be outside the Rolls Building, 7 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1NL, at 1.15pm to support the defendants, adding their voices to the many opposed to onshore oil and gas exploration. 

They will be joined by Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley and deputy leader Amelia Womack, supporting the right to peaceful protest.

Read the rest of this entry >>